Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins follicular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009. To read Chuck's full column with that news, click here. Carla Offenburger wrote about it from the perspective of a wife whose husband has cancer, and to read her column, click here. But we received a second jolt in the spring of 2010 Carla underwent surgery on April 26, 2010, for removal of a jaw tumor which was found to contain adenoid cystic carcinoma cancer. She underwent six weeks of follow-up radiation in June and July, and continues under close medical observation. Two days after her radiation ended, we got a third jolt Chuck noticed a pain in his left hip and a few days later, a small growth was found near his tailbone. It was biopsied and diagnosed as a large-cell lymphoma, a more aggressive form than what he had a year earlier. He underwent intensive chemotherapy during the fall, in preparation for a stem cells transplant in November, then some follow-up preventative radiation in January, 2011.

Update for December 21, 2011

Chuck says:

The news is good – real good – at this critical point one year after my stem cells transplant.

On November 14 in Iowa City, the good folks at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics did a full work-up on my blood, said I appear to be cancer-free. And they told me my immune system has rebounded nicely in the year since it was fried with “big guns” chemotherapy, as they called it. That was intentional, you may recall, an essential preliminary to having the stem cells transplant. After the recent check-up, Physician Assistant Gina Glass gave me a hug.

That good report was confirmed on Monday, December 12, when a PET/CT scan at McFarland Clinic in Ames came back clean. “It all looks good to me,” said Dr. Michael Guffy, the oncologist who has seen me through 2 ½ years of cancer treatment.

Even better news, Carla Offenburger is also healthy.

Like most cancer patients, we’ve both had scares in recent months. Once you’ve been through what we have, when something in your body doesn’t feel or look completely normal, you get just a little goosey.

What we’ve learned, in such situations, is to forget sitting around wondering and worrying. Get to the doctor and get it checked.

That’s how we handled it early last summer, when I had a nagging cough and chest congestion. A PET/CT scan showed some possible trouble areas in my lungs, and Dr. Guffy was as concerned as I was. However, a change in blood pressure medicine, some antibiotics, and temporary use of an inhaler quickly stopped the congestion and cough. A follow-up scan showed I was clear, and I’ve felt strong ever since.

I’ve also had to have three skin cancers carved off. I have about 20 years experience dealing with skin cancer, and the frequency with which I’m getting them now has more to do with my being a 64-year-old guy who has spent a lot of time in the sun than it does having a chronic skin cancer problem. Of course, I’m very careful about using sun block, but I’m still likely to develop them. The key is to see my dermatologist Dr. Andrew Bean regularly in West Des Moines, and get the problem spots removed before they become serious.

It was the same for Carla in November, when she had some soreness in her jaw on the left side of her head. That’s where she had discomfort in the spring of 2010 before a tumor was found inside her jaw. She immediately went back to the otolaryngologist Dr. Stephen Griffith, another McFarland Clinic specialist in Ames, who confirmed she was fine other than having jaw strain from recently eating candies and other food requiring a lot of chewing.

So, happily, good life continues.

In my time of heavy cancer treatment, I had only the bare minimum of dental work done. As it became clear my good health was returning, my dentist Dr. Jim Teusch of Jefferson said it was time to start taking care of delayed dental problems – an old molar that had just disintegrated and a root canal. Removing the cracked molar required the attention of oral surgeon Dr. Peter Cho in Ames. Doc Teusch handled the root canal and building a new crown for a problem tooth.

Both Cho and Teusch were apologetic about putting me through a little discomfort. But I was able to tell them not to give it a thought. “After what I’ve been through the past couple years,” I told both of them, “I’m just glad to be here and need this work done!”

Drill, baby, drill!


The best we’ve heard from you and others:

Chuck, in the past year, I’ve seen you with long hair, no hair and now this short hair. This is best.